Back for You
by Berserker Nightwitch
Summary: Dally and Johnny are dead right? Then who just walked in the door? And who is this person that looks like Johnny? No Original Characters. COMPLETED!
1. Return of the Lost Son

Title: Back for You

Author(ess): Berserker Nightwitch

Summary: Dally and Johnny are dead right? Then how is Dally coming through the front door? And who is this person who looks like Johnny?

Notes: _Thoughts_

:: _Flashbacks_ :: [1]

"Speaking"

Narration

Posted: March 12, 2004

Chapter Title: Return of the Lost Son

~~

"Ponyboy! C'mon, Kid, it's time to wake up." The teenager rubbed his eyes sleepily as he struggled to wake himself up. Once he had finished getting dressed he wandered into the kitchen. He was the last of his family to the table again. Darry was first up, so there was no contest there, but Sodapop, Two-Bit, and Steve were both there as well.

Ever since the accident four months earlier, that was all that was left of their family. Originally there had been four other members, but Johnny and Dally had died after Johnny accidentally killed Bob. And almost a year before that Ponyboy, Sodapop, and Darry's parents were killed in a car accident.

Now they were down to the five remaining members of the gang. They had all become overprotective of each other, and Ponyboy in particular. There were times when it felt to Pony that they were suffocating him.

"Sorry. What time is it?"

"Almost eleven."

"Then why'd you wake me up? It's a Saturday."

"Don't you have any idea what day it is?" Darry asked, looking at him strangely.

Ponyboy scratched his head absently while he was thinking. Their parents' anniversary had been a month ago, the anniversary of their death was a few weeks before that. They hadn't even reached the halfway mark to Johnny and Dally's death dates. He looked up at Darry and shrugged helplessly. Darry shook his head and smiled as Two-Bit jumped up, pick up Pony, and proceeded to swing the teen around in circles.

"It's your birthday, Kid. You're fifteen today!" Soda exclaimed, laughing.

"Already?" Pony asked dumbly. Everyone in the room laughed. Just then, the lights were switched out, making the birthday boy realize for the first time that the blinds were closed. When they were done singing and Pony had blown out the candles, they sat around talking and eating.

"Even if it is my birthday, why'd you wake me up so early?"

"I have some things I need to get done today, and I wanted to wish you a happy birthday before the day was over," Darry told him, smiling. Ponyboy grinned back and thanked him. Just then, Steve got up and left, returning moments later with a bunch of boxes.

"We didn't get much, but these are your birthday presents."

"But there's five of them," Ponyboy said, confused.

"Johnny and Dally had both gotten you something before… the accident."

"Yeah, now open 'em! I can't remember what I got you!" Two-Bit yelled, causing the others to laugh.

The youngest Curtis slowly unwrapped the gift from Darry and saw the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy. Pony's eyes were shining as he thanked Darry. He had never hoped to get all three. Next came a new sketchpad from Soda and a pack of shading pencils from Steve. He got a Mickey Mouse figurine from Two-Bit. "Thanks you guys," Pony whispered, not believing that he had received so many gifts.

"You still have two to open," Steve reminded him. Ponyboy nodded and reached for the gift from Dally. Inside was a record by Elvis Presley. On the record were four of the songs that Ponyboy liked best of the artist's hits. He also got a book from Dally. "The Age of Innocence" by Edith Wharton. [2] Johnny had given him a book with the best of Robert Frost's poetry.

"Thank you," Ponyboy whispered silently to his two missing friends. He looked up at his remaining family members and cursed softly when his eyes began to blur. "I'm sorry. I'm s'posed to be happy. I didn't mean to start bawlin'."

Soda reached out and hugged him. "It's your birthday, Baby. You can bawl your eyes out all day if that's what you want." Ponyboy leaned into the embrace and sniffled, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"No, I'm gonna be happy today."

~

Three days later, Ponyboy was at school, wondering where Steve and Two-Bit were. He went to the parking lot and found Two-Bit's car missing. Just as he was preparing to head back inside, Randy walked up to him. "Hey Ponyboy."

"Hi Randy."

"Uh… Two-Bit wanted me to tell you that something came up and he had to go home. He also said that Steve got called in to work. They didn't want you to have to wait for them after school if they weren't going to show up."

"Oh. Thanks, Randy."

"No problem. Hey, I could give you a ride back home if you want."

"Why?"

"It's the least I could do. You were willing to forget about the whole Soc/Greaser thing and just accept people for people."

"Wouldn't it be a lot of trouble for you to drive me all the way over there and then have to drive all the way back?"

"No. Besides, I wanted to talk to Darry about something anyway."

"Oh… um, where should I meet you after school?"

"Right here?"

"Okay. See you then!" Ponyboy smiled and waved as he ran back into the school. He had heard the bell ring and wanted to get to class before he would be counted late.

When school ended, Randy was true to his word and gave Ponyboy a ride home. He stayed awhile to wait for Darry and got to know the rest of the gang better. Darry finally came home at about nine. The first thing the gang noticed was that he was grinning broadly.

"Hey Superman! What's got you in such a good mood?"

"I got a raise. And better hours."

"So when will you be working?" Steve asked.

"Monday through Wednesday from eight in the morning until seven in the evening. This way I'll be able to actually see you guys at the end of the day."

"And you'll be starting later," Soda reminded him. Darry nodded.

"I also had an interview for another job."

"A third one?"

"No, this one pays really well, so I'd be quitting the second one. There would also be benefits."

"Like what?"

"Medical insurance, dental insurance. The kind of thing that most people look for."

"That's great!"

"I thought so. Now that that's out, would someone mind telling me why there's a Soc in our living room?"

"It's Randy!"

"I recognize him, Ponyboy, I want to know why he's here."

"I wanted to talk to you."

"So talk."

~

A few days later, it was Monday again. Darry had gotten the better job and quit the previous one, so he was able to drive Ponyboy to school and pick him up after Track practice. When they got home they found Soda in the kitchen cooking dinner.

"What's on the menu tonight, Pepsi-Cola?" Darry asked. He had been in a much better mood ever since his raise, and with his new job, his mood was improving by the day. He worked one job from Monday to Wednesday, and only worked the other on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday evenings.

"Steak, mashed potatoes, biscuits, and chocolate cake!" Soda announced happily as he poured red food dye into one of the items.

After everyone had had their fill of steak, blue mashed potatoes, and red biscuits, they gathered in the living room. Steve had moved in with them after the accident, and Two-Bit slept over so often that he may as well have lived there. 

"Hey Pony, read one of your poems!" Steve demanded.

"Why?" Ponyboy asked suspiciously.

"I want to hear one. A short one, please."

"Okay. The one I'm on right now is called 'A Patch of Old Snow'. It goes:  
  
There's a patch of old snow in a corner  
That I should have guessed  
Was a blow-away paper the rain  
Had brought to rest.  
  
It is speckled with grime as if  
Small print overspread it,  
The news of a day I've forgotten--  
If I ever read it." [3]

"That's a nice poem," Two-Bit mumbled. "HEY! Give that back!" Ponyboy laughed silently and bent his head back to the table.

Ponyboy was doing his homework, Darry was falling asleep, and everyone else was fighting over the program they would watch on TV when they heard steps coming up to the door. The pace sounded familiar, but none of them could place it. The door was pushed open from the outside – they still didn't bother to lock doors – and a tall, familiar young man stepped into the room.

The entire room went silent when he walked in. Finally, Ponyboy managed to find his voice. He choked on his words as they came out, but it was still impossible to miss what he said.

"Dally?"

~~

A/N: Well, this is my first real attempt at a cliffhanger, so I guess we'll find out what you guys think shortly, huh? The next chapter will go much quicker (not length-wise, pace-wise) and I WILL explain how Dally managed to stay alive, I promise. Please review and let me know what you think.

[1] – This applies for later chapters, too. This way I don't have to write them on every chapter I write!

[2] – I've never read it, but it was published in 1920, so I figured he might have read it.

[3] – Yes, that IS a Robert Frost poem. I spent twenty minutes trying to find a short one.


	2. Seeing is Believing

A/N: First things first:

Title: Back for You

Author(ess): Berserker Nightwitch

Summary: Dally and Johnny are dead right? Then how is Dally coming through the front door? And who is this person who looks like Johnny?

Posted: March 13, 2004

Chapter Title: Seeing is Believing

Thank Yous:

x fig newton 5 x – I'm glad you like it! ^^ Is this a soon enough update? My first reviewer!! XD

Tensleep – I was hoping it would be at least a little original. Thanks for reviewing so my!

eclipsed – Wait no longer. This chappie explains it.

DallysGirl4Life – Thanks. I hope this is soon enough for you.

DHSRedneckSlim13 – Goosebumps? Okay. I don't get it. I have stereotypical blonde syndrome sometimes. Please explain? I hope that means you like it. ^^

Thanks to all five of you who have reviewed already. That was quick! It also made me want to update this quickly. BTW, I already have an idea for a sequel, so if I get enough reviews for this story, there could be something coming later, too.

Now, on to the story!!

~~

The entire room went silent when he walked in. Finally, Ponyboy managed to find his voice. He choked on his words as they came out, but it was still impossible to miss what he said.

"Dally?"

~

"Yeah Kid?"

"Is that… you?"

"Who else would it be?"

"But… how?"

"What do you mean how?"

Finally, someone else decided to get involved. Darry walked over and punched Dally in the face. He stepped between the blond man and his brother.

"What was that for?" Dally screeched.

"I don't know who you are," Darry said calmly, "but you're not our friend."

"What makes you say that?"

"We watched the fuzz shoot Dally about four months ago. We watched him hit the floor. Steve saw the ambulance come. He heard what they said. Dally is dead. Now get out of my house."

"I didn't die that night."

"Then why would they say it was too late?" Steve broke in, desperately.

"It was too late for them to be in a park, scraping some JD off the pavement?" Dally suggested. The others exchanged looks; he certainly acted like Dally, if a little less angry.

"Then how did you survive?" Two-Bit asked, so serious that Dally had to do a double take to make sure it was the same person.

"I don't know. The doctors said that I was real lucky. The bullets just missed my vital organs, and after I came out of the coma, all I really had to do was get my strength back."

"You were in a coma?"

"For about three months."

"Why didn't anyone call us?"

"I was known as 'John Doe' in that hospital until I woke up. I didn't call you because I thought you already knew that I would come back here eventually. Course, I didn't count on you thinking I was dead."

"You're really back?" Soda asked softly.

"I was never gone."

At first everyone was talking too much to realize that Ponyboy had left the room. When they finally did notice it, however, Dally volunteered to go find him.

"No, that's okay. I think I should," Soda told him. "He's my brother, and I think you being alive after being dead for so long just has him a little overwhelmed." The others agreed and Soda left to find his younger brother. After checking over the entire house, he started searching other places where his brother frequented.

Thirty minutes and four miles later, he found Ponyboy sitting on the edge of the fountain where Bob had been killed. It was one of the last places Soda was going to try before checking back at the house.

"You okay, Baby?" he asked softly as he walked up to the younger boy. Ponyboy shrugged in response and kept his eyes firmly locked on the bloodstain at his feet. "C'mon, Pony, tell me what's wrong?"

"He can't be back."

"What do you mean, Kiddo?"

"If Dally's back, then Johnny's back. But Johnny can't be back, 'cause I saw him stop breathing. I was there. I watched Dally run away. I saw Johnny die, but I saw Dally die, and now Dally's not dead."

"That's real confusing, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"But that doesn't mean you have to run off."

"I had to."

"Why?"

"Because. If I stayed there, I would have started getting mad at Dally. It's not his fault he's alive and Johnny's not. It's just unfair. Why is he back, when my best friend is still… dead?"

"That is hard, isn't it Baby? It'll be okay. Just think about it like this: our family is getting bigger again. Now you can thank him for the book and the Elvis record."

"Is he gonna go to school again?"

"That depends. If he lives with us, then yeah. Darry'll make sure he goes. If he doesn't, I don't know. Do you want him to go to school?"

"I think so. Soda?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Johnny will come back?"

"I don't know, Baby. I just don't know." Ponyboy nodded and dropped his head onto his knees. Soda reached over and hugged him, holding him tight while he cried.

It took almost twenty minutes, but Ponyboy finally cried himself out. Soda picked up his younger brother and started back towards the house.

"Soda?"

"What is it, Baby?"

"'M sorry."

"For what?"

"Cryin'."

"That's nothing to be sorry for."

"Oh. Soda?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

Ponyboy was asleep almost before they had gotten out of the park. Soda walked the rest of the way home thinking about all that had happened since the night his brother and friends had gone to see that movie. _Something on Bikini Beach. I think that was the name of it. So much has happened since then. First Darry hit Pony, then Pony almost got drowned. Then Johnny killed Bob. Pony, Johnny, and Dally got hurt saving a bunch of kids, and Johnny and Dally ended up dead. Now Dally's back, and Pony is hurt because Johnny isn't too._

When he got home, Soda went first to the room he shared with Ponyboy and laid his brother down on the bed. He pulled the younger boy's shoes off and pulled the covers up over him. When Ponyboy was settled in bed he went back out to the living room and found four sets of eyes trained on him.

"So, why did he run?" Steve asked.

"It bothered him that Dally was back, but Johnny wasn't. I think he'll be fine after some time to get used to it."

"I woulda brought Johnny back with me if I coulda."

"I know. So does Pony. He'll be fine. Oh, where do you plan to live now that you're back?"

"Yeah, your dad already threw out all of your stuff. We saved a lot of it. Same with Johnny's," Darry told him.

"Why would you save all of my junk?"

"Because you're our friend. There are memories in objects, too. Besides, Ponyboy wouldn't allow us to just let it get thrown out."

__

:: "We can't just leave it there!"

"We won't! The trash man will come and take it all away."

"But those belong to our friends!"

"Ponyboy, they're dead. It's not like they can claim them."

"But we have nothing else to remember them by! Please, can we just take a few things? So no one can forget that they were alive."

"What do you mean, Kid?" Darry slung an arm around his youngest brother's shoulder as he asked.

"If we don't have proof, then the moment we forget about them, it'll be like they never existed."

"Alright, you win. Let's go get some of their stuff."

"Thanks, Darry."

"Don't thank me. You're just too stubborn. And you make too many good points." ::

~

A week later, Dally was getting used to living in the Curtis house. He had to attend school regularly – and try to explain to everyone he saw why he wasn't dead – and keep up a part-time job. After a few days of just school and home, he got bored and got a job. He still rode bulls for Buck Merril, but he also had a job at the theater. No one ever snuck in anymore.

It was also at that time that Ponyboy began to accept his being there. He no longer looked like he was on the verge of either tears or anger every time he saw the blond man. There were times he even went to Dally with his problems rather than either of his brothers. There were still a few problems, but for the most part, it was okay.

~~

A/N: Yes, I'm ending this chapter there. There will be at least four more chapters, but I have it all worked out in my head of how it will go. Please stay tuned for chapter three. It may be a little slow, but stick with it and it will get better again. Now the time has come, please press the little button on the lower left region of your screen.

Berserker Nightwitch: If you don't, I'll sing the most annoying song I can think of.

Dally: And what would that be?

BN: This is the song that doesn't end, yes – 

Darry: Please, end this. Review!

BN: - and on my friend. Some people started singing it, not knowing – 

Ponyboy: She'll stop soon, I promise.

BN: - forever just because this is the song that doesn't – 

Dally & Darry & Ponyboy: *covers her mouth* It's ending. Please review people.


	3. A New Routine

Title: Back for You

Author(ess): Berserker Nightwitch

Summary: Dally and Johnny are dead right? Then how is Dally coming through the front door? And who is this person who looks like Johnny?

Posted: March 20, 2004

Chapter Title: A New Routine

Thank Yous:

seraphim9 – I hope this one meets your expectations.

movielvr – I know the feeling. I had to, too! I'm glad you liked it so far.

eclipse – I'm glad you like how I worked it out. Would you believe I came up with this idea at 6:30 in the morning about a week ago? Yeah, I was walking to school.

DallysGirl4Life – Does it make you feel any better that I had that song stuck in my head for an hour while I was trying to write that chapter? Yeah…

Tensleep – Thanks for the compliment. I loved the Pepsi-Cola story!!! Just a quick question though: the funny papers? Does that have any special significance, or is it your thing? It's cute!

Bandit-Gurl42 – Happy to keep you entertained. Is it soon enough?

Angel02 – I like that you like. ^^

Now for the story…

~~

"Ponyboy! Sodapop! Dallas! All three of you had better be up and ready to go by the time Two-Bit and Steve get here!"

Dally had been going to school again for a week, but it still grated on his nerves whenever Darry woke him up with that purpose. He had never been much of a school person. He could hear yelling through the wall as the younger Curtis brothers fought to get the first shower. That was one of the first things Dally had learned since he had moved in, Soda and Pony would argue with – and then tickle – each other in the hopes of subduing the other and getting to the bathroom first.

Sure enough, at that moment he heard the squeal of laughter indicating that the final stage of the 'fight' had been reached. Usually, it was Ponyboy who lost, but he seemed to have gained the upper hand that morning. Dally shook his head as he pushed himself up. This was why he took his shower in the evening. Darry took his when he woke up at six-thirty.

He heard the door slam and the sound of running water as he left the room. He had been given Soda's old bedroom since the middle Curtis was still sharing a room with Ponyboy. After the first two or three times he had been woken up by ear-piercing screams Dally wondered how the younger boy could stand sleeping right next to the kid.

Darry was already seated at the kitchen when Dally wandered in. Dally grabbed a plate from the counter and sat down across from him. There was a moment of silence while both ate their breakfast.

"Mornin' Superman," Dally greeted around a bite of cake.

"Mornin' Dal. Will you be ready to go in ten minutes?"

"Course. All I got to do is get a shirt and find my shoes. They disappeared again."

"Under the couch," Ponyboy told him as he walked into the room, a towel still wrapped around his neck to catch the water dripping from his hair. The front hairs clung to his face in wet strands, making the bleached tips slightly less noticeable. His hair had grown quite a bit from how Johnny had cut it while they were hiding out in Windrixville. At that time it barely reached his ears, but now he could pull it back into a small ponytail if he wanted to.

"The couch?" Dally asked, annoyed.

"Yeah. And don't blame me, Dally. I ain't the one who was wrestlin' with Two-Bit and kicked 'em under there."

"That was a quick shower, Pon. You sure you're clean?" Darry asked, breaking the tension. Ponyboy grinned and nodded, but when Darry persisted, Pony walked over and rung his hair out over his eldest brother's head.

Dally sat back and watched as Darry chased Ponyboy around the house. By the time Soda had come into the kitchen and gotten his breakfast Darry had the youngest Curtis in a loose headlock. As soon as Pony cried 'Uncle' Darry let him go and gave him a plate. When Steve and Two-Bit walked in, the three younger members of the household ran to finish getting ready. Somehow, Darry always managed to be completely ready before anyone else even woke up. Five minutes later, Steve, Soda, and Darry went to work, while Two-Bit, Dally, and Pony headed to school.

~

"Why'd Steve move back in with his dad?" Dally asked as they walked to school.

"He didn't wanna have to share a room with a hood," Two-Bit explained, grinning crazily at the look Dally threw at him. Ponyboy shook his head at their antics.

"Steve only came to live with us because we were getting real messed up. The house always seemed too quiet when it was just the three of us, so he moved in to make it four. With him _and_ Soda in the house it was never quiet." Two-Bit and Dally both watched Ponyboy as he trailed off into silence, looking off to his left. They followed his gaze and saw the park where Johnny had killed the Soc.

None of them ever went into that park anymore. It held good memories for all of them, but that was where a Soc had been killed by Johnny. It was almost sacred ground to both sides. The Socs wouldn't touch it because it was where they had lost one of their own, and the Greasers wouldn't go near it because Ponyboy had nearly drowned and Johnny had killed a kid in it.

Dally put his arm around Ponyboy's shoulders as he felt the younger boy slowing down. He started to lead him away from the site, if not the memories. "Hey, Pony?"

"Yeah?" Pony whispered hoarsely.

"I never told you before now, but I'm sorry."

"For what?" Ponyboy finally looked Dally in the eyes, surprised that he would ever hear an apology come from Dallas Winston.

"For just abandoning you at the hospital that night. I should have taken you home; not left you there with a… with Johnny's… with Johnny like that. It should have been me that brought you home; not some stranger that almost ran you over in the first place."

"How'd you know about that?"

"When I first got back and moved in with y'all, I asked Darry. He didn't want to tell me at first, afraid that you'd wake up and hear it or something, but he told me anyway."

"What night was that?"

"The second night after I moved in. It was the third or fourth week of school, and you had worn yourself out at your first track practice."

"Oh."

"But anyways, I'm sorry for just leaving you there."

"It's okay."

"Do we have to go to school today?"

"What are you asking us for, Two-Bit? You don't ever have to go to school no more. You just go, remember?"

"Yeah, but y'all were leaving me out of your talk, and I wanted to start a new conversation."

"So you ask about school?" Dally bellowed. Two-Bit only grinned again.

"Well, I guess I could talk about something else. This morning, Mickey Mouse was on this boat…"

~~

A/N: I know; a short chapter after not touching it for a week, but I promise I'll write an update sooner this time. Or at least I'll try. This is just where this chapter needed to end. I covered all the necessary points to keep people from getting too confused. Oh! Good news! I bought the Outsiders DVD last night! Yay! Now I've seen the movie (three times), read the book (four times), read the play, and acted out the scene between Cherry and Ponyboy where they're talking about the rumble. I played Ponyboy, because Cherry kinda annoys me. So I had my partner play Cherry. Thankfully she didn't mind. She made me kinda like Cherry, though. That's how well she played her.

A/N 2: Now that I got that out of my system, please review and let me know what you think of this chapter. If you don't…

Berserker Nightwitch: I'm back!!!

Dally: Heaven help us…

BN: I have another song stuck in my head.

Darry: Please not again.

BN: Review or I'll sing.

Dally: Oh, go ahead.

Darry & Pony: *raise eyebrows*Are you sure about this?

Dally: Yeah. What could be worse than last time?

BN: Christmas, Christmas time is here. Time for toys and time for cheer…

Soda: The Chipmunk Christmas Song? I love this song!

Two-Bit: Me too!

Dally: You guys aren't helping…

BN, Soda, and Two-Bit: Me, I want a hula-hoop! We can hardly stand the wait, please Christmas don't be late.

Darry, Steve, Pony, and Dally: Please review and make the madness end! Press the button! For the love of all things good press the button!

A/N 3: This chapter has no changes from what it was originally, except that I had left the update date at the one from chapter two. In my opinion, that kinda defeats the purpose of writing when it was added. I'm on my way to becoming a perfectionist, though, so I couldn't just leave it like that… Sorry for any confusion, and I will have the next chapter up shortly.


	4. Miracles Happen

Title: Back for You

Author(ess): Berserker Nightwitch

Summary: Dally and Johnny are dead right? Then how is Dally coming through the front door? And who is this person who looks like Johnny?

Posted: March 26, 2004

Chapter Title: Miracles Happen

Thank Yous:

Bisera – I've never heard that song before… I hope this counts as 'soon'

Tensleep – Wow… That is the longest review I have ever gotten… YAY! That made perfect sense. Dallas is still his same old self, but he's able to realize that there's more to life than just an image. It just kinda bothers me in stories where they come back, but they're the same as they always were. Getting in an accident changes the views of most people, so why wouldn't it do the same with them? Sorry, had to get that out.

shyXshortieXbabe – Cute? How so? *confused* Thanks for reviewing.

eclipsed – _That_ was _fast_!?!?! You must be used to slower stuff then. I prefer updating within two to three days. I haven't been able to lately… T_T

Stephanog – Thankie much. I plan to write at least three more chapters for this story, and possibly a sequel too, so there will be more coming.

Carrot Juice – I like your name. Very original.

movielvr – Aye aye, Cap'n! Yes I did realize that I ended them with songs, but blame the muses! Blame them! Not me!

~~ Dally: Can't you take responsibility for anything?

BN: Where'd you learn that word?

Dally: …Shut up and get on with your thank yous.

BN: There's none left! ^^ ~~

~~

Another two months passed in silence as the six greasers got used to their new routine. People still avoided Dally when he was walking through the halls at school, but he liked it. He claimed that being dead had done wonders for his reputation. People were not willing to get into fights with people who had been brought back from the dead. For the most part, the greasers let people believe what they wanted; very few were told that he hadn't really died in the first place. Most of the ones who were told simply didn't believe it.

One morning it took Ponyboy longer than usual to get ready. When Darry and Soda finally managed to coax him out of bed, he moped through the house, only getting ready for school when Darry began to threaten to take away his chocolate. Even then he didn't move very fast. Dally watched him on their walk to school that day: Two-Bit's car was malfunctioning again. Ponyboy stared at the ground the entire walk, and only spoke when asked a direct question.

Not long after they had passed the park, Two-Bit and Dally saw a bunch of Socs waiting for them. The Socs started a small fight, but ran off before anything big happened. Two-Bit wanted to chase after them, but Dally held him back for a minute while he checked to see if Pon6yboy would be coming with them.

"Nah. Why don't you two go on ahead. I'll catch up with you later."

"You sure Kid?" Two-Bit asked, becoming a little worried.

"Yeah. Don't wait around for me though. I think I'm just gonna walk the entire way."

"Alright, but you had better get to school on time, or Darry really will take away all of your chocolate."

"I know, Dal. Oh, I've got Track after school, and a test to make up at lunch, so I won't see you again until I get home."

"Okay. See ya then, Pony."

With that, the two older boys ran after their 'prey', leaving the youngest trailing behind them. After another twenty minutes of walking, Ponyboy stopped and looked down the road toward the school. When a few more moments passed, he turned and headed back towards the park. It wouldn't hurt anything if he missed one day at school. The coach had always told him to take care of himself, so he would understand a sick day. And the test was just an attempt to raise the grade from a C. If he timed it right, he could still be home at the normal time, and no one would ever know that he skipped.

~

"Where is that kid?"

"What kid?"

"Oh, hey, Dal. I'm just waiting for Ponyboy."

"Why?"

"It's lunchtime. He's always here waiting for me."

"He's making up that test today, remember?"

"Yeah… but I don't feel right about something. He should eat."

"One meal couldn't hurt him that bad."

"Have you seen how scrawny that kid is?"

"Yeah, but look at Soda. And if you remember, Darry looked like that for a long time. That family just doesn't know how to look fat."

"Or even healthy."

"True."

Two-Bit and Dally headed out the doors, laughing. Neither of them could fully suppress a feeling that something wasn't right, though.

~

The slamming door jolted him awake. Ponyboy sat up and looked to the door, already dreading what was to come. It was still an hour before anyone should have been home, but Darry was walking in the door. Pony watched as realization dawned on his eldest brother's face. Darry knew that there was school, and the lack of the other two was proof that it wasn't a short day.

Ponyboy groaned as he thought of what had lead to that mess. He had planned to spend the day outside; by himself. Around lunchtime, though, he had started getting hungry so he headed home. When he finished eating he had sat down to read a few pages of a book he was working on. He must have fallen asleep sometime while reading it.

"What are you doing home?" Darry asked quietly. Ponyboy could hear the undercurrent of anger in his voice.

"I… uh…"

"The truth would be preferred to any lie you try and make up."

"I… I skipped."

"I can see that. Now care to tell me why?"

"I just… didn't feel like going."

"You didn't feel like going. It ain't that easy, Kid. In life, you can't just not do something because you 'don't feel like it'. What do you think would happen if I 'didn't feel like' going to work? Huh? I'd lose my job. Then we'd be dependent on Soda's and my other job's paycheck. Unless I didn't feel like going to that job either. Without those jobs, I don't make money. Without that money, you wouldn't be fed, clothed, or kept in this house.

" 'I didn't feel like it' is a crap excuse, Ponyboy. Now why don't you make up another good one, and we'll go from there?" By that point, Darry was yelling. Ponyboy was still on the couch, curled up against the farther arm, away from his irate brother. Tears were threatening to spill from his eyes, but he refused to let them. "Come on, Ponyboy! Feed me another one! Give me some other excuse. Come on! Try 'I forgot'. That seems to be a favorite of yours!"

At that point, Ponyboy stood up quickly and faced his brother. "You said you wanted the truth. Now you're telling me to lie to you? Why can't you just make up your mind! Or leave me alone. I didn't feel like going to school. I know you skipped school a few times when you were in high school. No one's going to come after us if I miss one day, so don't try and use that on me, either. I don't care if you think it was a crap excuse! It's been exactly six months since my best friend was killed, and I'm really not in the mood to deal with any of that crap the people at school think is important. I just wanted to be left alone for one day so I could remember him without anyone screaming at me to wake up, or get out of the clouds, or telling me to 'remember the good times'!" By then Ponyboy was yelling as well, surprising both of them with the intensity of his anger.

"I'm leaving now, and maybe this time it'll take me less than a week to come back. I don't know. You can ground me, beat me, or starve me when I get back, but at the moment, I don't care about that, either. Tell the guys 'bye' for me."

"Ponyboy! Wait!" Darry called, but it did him no good. Ponyboy wasn't willing to listen to anything else he had to say at the moment. The eldest Curtis brother watched helplessly as the youngest stormed out of the house, unaware that both were crying in their frustration.

~

"Hey Darry. You're home early."

"I know."

"Is something the matter?"

"Did you know that Pony ditched today?"

"Really? I didn't know he had it in him. Where is he?"

"I don't know. When I got home a few hours ago, he was here, and we got into a fight. He stormed off saying something about maybe being back before the end of the week."

"He'll probably be back before the night's over. He's gonna want to make up all the work he missed."

"I guess so."

"Seriously, Darry. It'll be okay."

"I hope so."

~

"Hey Soda. Hi Steve."

"Hey Two-Bit. Why's it so quiet in here?"

"Darry's depressed, Dally's pissed, and Pony's gone."

"Gone where?"

"Who knows. He ditched school and got in an argument with Darry and walked out. Darry told us when we got home."

"So why isn't anyone out looking for him?"

"He just needs some time to cool off. If you go looking for him, it'll just make him run farther."

"Thanks for joining us, Dally. Do you really think that that's what would happen?"

"That's almost what happened when Bob was killed."

"I guess."

~

"Pony! Where have you been? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I was at the lot for awhile, then I went to the movies."

"By yourself?"

"I can take care of myself, Steve."

"If you say so."

"Shut up, Steve." Ponyboy and Steve both looked at Soda in shock. The middle Curtis had never said anything like that to his best friend before, and it shocked everyone that heard. "Are you ready to talk to Darry yet? He's real sorry he didn't wait for you to say anything before yelling at you."

"Yeah. I need to talk to him."

Ponyboy walked into the kitchen and sat down across the table from Darry. Two-Bit and Dally both got up and left the room after exchanging nods with the younger boy. 

"Darry? I'm sorry."

"For what? You have nothing to apologize for."

"Yeah, I do. Even if I was mad at you, I had no right to say those things as I was leaving."

"You wouldn't have had to if I would have just shut up and let you explain to me why you missed school."

"I just needed time to think without any distractions. Ever since the accident, all of you have been smothering me. I know you mean well, but I need my own space."

"Sorry about that. I just don't want to lose anyone else, especially you."

The brothers smiled at each other, and Ponyboy headed back outside.

"Where are you going now?" Dally asked, trying unsuccessfully to hide his worry.

"Just to the porch. I need to do some more thinking."

"Is that all you ever do?" Two-Bit asked.

"Beats never doing it," Soda answered pointedly. Ponyboy grinned and walked outside to the sounds of four people wrestling each other to the floor. He sat on the highest step and watched the sun set. It had been awhile since he had done that. He looked up and down the street, noticing nothing unusual except for a man. 

He wasn't someone normally seen in their neighborhood. He looked like a Greaser, but they all knew one another. This guy was nothing like anyone else. As he got closer, Ponyboy was able top make out more details. The man had dark hair, skin, and eyes. His neck had light scars covering it, and his cheek sported another. He was at least as tall as Soda, and almost as tall as Darry, and built as well. He wasn't as buff as Darry, but it looked like he had a lot of upper body strength.

As he came closer and closer to their house, Ponyboy couldn't help but think he had seen the person before. There was something familiar about the man, but something unfamiliar at the same time. The man turned into the yard and walked right up to Pony, stopping a foot or two away from him. He smiled at Ponyboy, something at once foreign and hauntingly well known.

"Hey, Ponyboy." His voice was a shade deeper than a tenor, and his pattern of speech was something Ponyboy felt that he should recognize immediately but couldn't.

"Am I supposed to know you?" Ponyboy asked suspiciously, fearing who this man might be.

"I guess I have changed a little bit, but I would think you would still recognize me." 

"I'm sorry, but could you at least give me your name?" Pony asked desperately.

"Johnny Cade."

~~

A/N: Dun, dun, du~un! Yay! Another cliffhanger! I am so sorry this took so long. I promise I was going to write and post it sooner, but then I got 'busy'. I watched _The Outsiders_ DVD and made a bunch of screencaps. I have been formatting all 640 of them onto PowerPoint presentations. Do you remember the scene when Ponyboy has just come back from Windrixville; it's his first morning back, and someone opens the door and there's Soda taking a shower? Well, when Steve is explaining the 'all brawn, no brain' theory to Darry, if you look over his shoulder it looks like Soda's not wearing anything at all. Steve's shoulder is just barely covering _that_ area, and the towel hasn't been wrapped around him yet. I took a screencap of it, and when I was naming the pic I realized that oh-so-important detail.

Now, please review for this chapter and tell me what you think? My good friends on ff.net gave me this idea and said I could use it, so here we go. If you review for _this chapter_ I'll give you a cookie! Is that incentive? The only thing is, you have to leave your email address. I'm not gonna go hunting you people down just to send you a cookie. If you're not logged in and you don't leave an email address, I'm sorry but you don't get the cookie. So please review.


	5. Impossible Made Real

Title: Back for You

Author(ess): Berserker Nightwitch

Summary: Dally and Johnny are dead right? Then how is Dally coming through the front door? And who is this person who looks like Johnny?

Posted: March 31, 2004

Chapter Title: Impossible Made Real

Thank Yous:

movielvr – Thanks for the review. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who noticed that… And I would send you a cookie, but you weren't signed into ff.net, and you didn't leave your email address. If you really want the cookie, I suggest you do one or the other next time you review.

Sodapop02 – I hope this chapter can explain it.

eclipsed – I didn't think setting it up like that would hurt anything, so…

shyXshortieXbabe – Johnny will play a key role in this chapter (much like Dally for chapter 2)

Tensleep – I hope this is a soon enough update. I do try to update quick. Let's make a deal? You update, then I update, then you update, and so on. BTW, I am talking about the Different View story. Pepsi's fun.

Outiderslover-0408 – Of course I left it at a cliffhanger. That makes other people come back. It also annoys the piss out of them if it takes a long time for the person to update.

Mistress of the Darkness – 1: I like your name, 2: did you like your cookie? Here's more Johnny.

To movielvr, Sodapop02, and eclipsed: I will NOT go searching for you, so if you wanted a cookie for that chapter, leave your email addresses next time. _

Now to finally get on with the story…

~~

"I'm sorry, but could you at least give me your name?" Pony asked desperately.

"Johnny Cade."

~

"What?" Ponyboy whispered, staring in near-fear at the stranger. The young man gave him a sad smile and sat down next to him on the step, much like Johnny had done for the entire time the boys had known each other.

"I'm Johnny."

"But that's not possible."

"Why not?"

"Because Johnny- We watched him- I mean, I… I saw him… " A look of pain crossed the stranger's face as he watched Ponyboy struggle not to cry. He wanted nothing more than to put an arm around the younger boy's shoulders and hug him. It was what he always did. He made Pony feel better.

"Come on, Pony, don't cry. I'm not dead."

"But I saw Johnny stop breathing. The clicky machine stopped making noise."

"But I'm here now, aren't I?"

"Why should I believe that you're who you say you are?"

"I've never lie- "

"Pony?" Both jumped at the voice calling from inside. "Who are you talking to?" Darry's voice was sounding overprotective again.

"I don't know. He says he Johnny." Almost before Ponyboy could finish, Darry, Soda, and Dally were outside and looking ready to kill.

"Who are you?" Dally asked menacingly.

"I'm Johnny Cade," the stranger answered calmly, though the look in his eyes was very much like the look Johnny got when he was trying to look brave.

"Bull. Now who are you really?" Soda demanded, giving the stranger a glare that would burn a hole through metal.

"I'm telling the truth. What reason do I have to lie to y'all?"

"Then how are you standing here?" Dally asked, beginning to wonder if he was telling the truth. After all, they had gone through this same scenario when he had first come back.

"I never died."

"This is giving me a headache," Darry mumbled, rubbing his temples. "Come on in, and you can tell all of us. Two-Bit and Steve can help us decide if you're lying or not." He lead the group back inside the house, causing the two still inside the house to look up in something akin to alarm.

"Is something wrong, Darry?" Steve asked, eyeing the stranger nervously.

"This guy says he's Johnny," Dally answered for him.

Two-Bit looked the person over, then grinned. "If you really are who you say you are, then you would know this. What is Johnny Cade's nickname, and how did he get it?"

"Johnnycake, and it's because Ponyboy had trouble speaking when he was real little and mixed my last name with his favorite food. No one could convince him that it wasn't my real name, and after awhile it became my nickname."

At the explanation, Ponyboy looked to his brothers to see if it was true. He had been told that it was because of Johnny's last name, but they had left out the part that he was the one who created it. The other five were staring at the stranger in shock, so it was obviously the correct answer.

"But I saw you stop breathing, man," Dally finally said.

"The docs managed to bring me back to life. They kicked Pony out of the room as soon as I stopped breathing, and then they kinda revived me. I was in intensive care for a long time, and I didn't want them to call anyone. They called my parents, but they never even pick up their phone, and no one knew to call you guys."

"But you look so… different," Ponyboy whispered.

"Yeah. I had to go to a lot of physical therapy to learn to use my legs again. At first they thought I'd never be able to, so they had me move around dragging myself with my arms. Then I started trying to walk again, and after awhile I could. That gave me a lot more muscles."

"And your voice?" Steve asked, for all appearances amused by the explanations.

"Puberty? I don't know. It just finally finished changing or something."

"I guess that makes sense."

"Uh… Johnny?" Two-Bit asked hesitantly. He waited until he had Johnny's full attention before continuing. "Where are you going to stay?"

"I don't know, actually. I could just set up a shack or something in the lot."

"Forget it." Everyone looked to Darry. "Either me or Dally could share a room with you. Or Pony and Soda. But you are not going to stay at the lot."

"I'll share with him," Dally volunteered.

"Thanks y'all, but I don't wanna be a bother."

"How is this being a bother? Now I can be sure that Pony stays at school." Ponyboy flushed and looked away when the other all turned to him. All but Johnny had knowing grins on their faces. At Johnny's confused look, Soda laughed and explained about that morning.

By the time everyone had gotten caught up with each other again, it was getting late. There was school the next day, so everyone went to bed. Dally and Johnny shared a bed that night, but Darry promised that they would go shopping for a different bed later in the week, hopefully even the next day.

~

"What's wrong with this one?" Soda asked, pointing at a queen.

"It's too big. There wouldn't be any space in the room for another bed."

"Why do they need two?"

"We're not brothers and neither of us has nightmares. It's just too creepy to share a bed."

"You're just being a wuss, Dal."

"Shut up, Sodapop."

"Nope."

"What about this?" Ponyboy asked before the argument could turn into a fistfight. The others looked to where he was pointing and saw a bed that looked perfect for the room, except for one thing.

"Why's the other one so high?"

"So that the one on bottom doesn't hit their head."

"So which of us would be on top?"

"You would of course."

"Why me? And don't try that 'You're littler' crap. I'm almost bigger than you are now."

"Fine, because you're younger, Johnnycake."

"That's cheap."

"So sad."

"How much is it?" Darry asked. He smirked at the price, and waited to see if Johnny and Dally were willing to get it. They were, and that is how, that night, Johnny was on the top bed in a bunk bed. After almost an hour of hitting his head on the ceiling, though, Darry came into the room.

"This isn't working, you two."

"Yeah, I noticed," Johnny grumbled, rubbing his head.

"Switch."

"What?"

"You heard me. Johnny will take the bottom and Dally will be on top."

"But I'm older!"

"What? Are you scared of heights or something?"

"Of course not! I just… don't see why I have to go up there."

"Listen, Dal. It's either that, or you two go back to sharing a bed, because Johnny constantly hitting the ceiling is keeping me awake. You're smaller now, and thinner, so it shouldn't be as much of an issue."

He grumbled the entire time, but Dally switched places with Johnny. Sure enough, he was small enough that he wasn't bothered by the lack of distance from the ceiling. In fact, he slept better with the smaller space.

~

"Hey Darry?"

"Yeah Soda."

"Do you think Mom and Dad will be next?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, think about it. First Mom and Dad die, then Johnny dies, then Dally dies. Then Dally comes back, and yesterday Johnny came back. Maybe by this time next year Mom and Dad will be back, too."

"I doubt it."

"Why?"

"Because. We went to their funeral. We saw the caskets."

"But we saw Dally and Johnny's caskets, too."

"No we didn't. If you remember, there wasn't even a funeral."

"But it's still possible!"

"Fine Soda. If you want to believe that, go ahead. But don't get your hopes up. And don't tell Pony your theory. The last thing I need is having both of you heartbroken at the same time."

"That's kinda cruel."

"Soda, I've had a long day. Yesterday was a long day. The past year and a half has been filled with long days. I've woken up at all hours of the night to my youngest brother screaming bloody murder because of dreams he can't even remember once he opens his eyes. I've watched my other brother get heartbroken because of some slut. I really don't want either of you to be hurt again, and right now you're setting yourself up for it."

"I guess."

"I'm sorry, Soda. I wish I could believe it, or let you believe it. It's just not healthy."

"I know. I think I knew all along that it wasn't possible. I just needed to hear someone say it out loud."

"I'm still sorry."

"Wanna make it up to me?"

"How would I do that?"

"Make a double sized chocolate cake for tomorrow morning, and buy chocolate ice cream for my birthday."

"Done."

"Thanks!"

"Sure. And Soda?"

"Yeah?"

"Go to bed. It's after midnight."

"Right."

~~

A/N: Okay, it's pretty long. And I know the ending is kinda weird, but I just couldn't leave it at a sad part. It would have made me cry. There are still two chapters to go, but I forgot where I was going with the sequel. I have one chapter all written out, too. The only problem is that that chapter doesn't give me any ideas about what I was going to do with it. T_T That's what I get for putting off this chapter for so long. Anywho, please review.

BN: And now, thanks to popular demand (popular being one person's hinting) I'M BACK!

Dally: Man, I thought we'd finally gotten rid of you.

BN: That's cruel, Blondie.

Dally: Look who's talking.

Darry: Children, please. Don't fight in front of the audience.

BN: Fine, but only if I get to sing the latest song to pop into my head!

Darry: Fine.

BN: Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of beer! You take one down; pass it around. Ninety-eight bottles of beer on the wall! Ninety-eight bottles of beer on-

Steve: That's enough of that song. Please review.


	6. Changing Similarities

Title: Back for You

Author(ess): Berserker Nightwitch

Summary: Dally and Johnny are dead right? Then how is Dally coming through the front door? And who is this person who looks like Johnny?

Posted: April 7, 2004

Chapter Title: Changing Similarities

Thank Yous:

Bandit-Gurl42 – No sweat. Even short reviews are acceptable. I hope you had fun wherever you had to go.

Tensleep – I'm glad you liked the pictures, and in case I haven't said it enough: I love A Different View. Note to other readers: READ THAT STORY!!!!! Back to the Thank yous: I never actually planned for this to be sad/ironic. Oh well. At least now I know its genre, right? ^^

movielvr – I hope this was fast enough for you. I was a little upset that a week after posting the first chapter with Johnny really back I had still only gotten about five reviews. I went through a small bit of depression, but I think I'm better. *shrugs*

Flour Chief – As I told you a few days ago when we were watching the movie, I had only one chapter written out, but I've forgotten some of the more important details. Have fun singing. Mistress of the Darkness – I'm glad you liked your cookie. You're the second person to have said anything about it. Tensleep was the other one. The reason I added that was that I've read a lot of Outsiders fics that leave that part hanging. They'll give these off-the-wall reasons for Johnny and Dally to come back, but somehow everyone just accepts that the Curtis parents aren't. …I really hope that that's what you were talking about when you said you agreed with Soda… if not, then I feel very, very stupid….

On to the story…

~~

"Soda! Johnny! Dally!" At Darry's yell, all three boys sat up quickly. Two promptly clutched their foreheads and fell back onto their beds. Even after a week they still weren't fully used to the bunkbeds. Every morning that Darry had to yell to wake them up, they spent the day sporting a purple mark on their foreheads.

"Why don't you come in here and wake us up?" Dally grumbled as he fell off of his bed. There was a loud crash followed by a string of muffled curses as Dally struggled to disentangle himself from his sheets while hanging upside down from the top bunk. Johnny fought valiantly to keep from laughing, but in the end, he failed. Dally threw him a glare that lost most of its power, seeing as how the one doing the glaring was hanging upside down in his underwear with the blood rushing to his head.

"Let me help," Johnny offered, grabbing Dally at his armpits and pulling him into what could have been a sitting position, had his feet been on the ground instead of wrapped in sheets. While Johnny held him up, Dally unwrapped the sheets from his legs and struggled to stand upright. Johnny let go when he had finally succeeded. When they had pulled on decent clothes they headed into the kitchen.

Soda and Pony were already eating when they arrived. Soda looked up and grinned when they walked in. "Morning. What took you two so long?"

"Unlike you," Dally answered, "we actually wear clothes, and had to put them on."

"What do you mean? I'm wearing clothes!" The other four occupants of the room all looked at Soda in various stages of disbelief and humor. "What?" Soda looked down at himself to see what they found so strange.

"Hate to break it to you Little Man, but underwear does not count as clothes. And what was the banging I heard?" Darry looked to the two newcomers as he said the last part.

"That was us hitting our heads on the ceiling and the top bunk. Again," Dally responded around a mouthful of cake.

"Followed by Dally falling off the bed and getting so tangled up in his own sheets that he just hung there until I helped him get out." The others watched in amusement as Dally's face turned bright red. Someone had finally succeeded in embarrassing Dallas Winston.

"As amusing as this story promises to be," Darry cut in, "Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally have school in half an hour. Soda, you have work in twenty minutes. I suggest all four of you start getting ready. You can give Steve and Two-Bit heart attacks when they get here that way."

~

"So how's it feel to finally be going back to school, Johnnycake?" Two-Bit asked as they entered the school building. Johnny had stayed at the house for the past week in order to let the others inform the school that he was still alive. Few people believed them, but the principle had believed them enough to get Johnny a new schedule.

"It's a little weird. At least this is the beginning of a new semester, so everyone's changing classes. Or at least a lot of people are."

"That's the reason Darry let you wait a week. Well, that and the fact that he didn't have to clean house that entire week."

"Yeah! After the first day I was so bored I did it just to have something to do."

"Did we tell you Two-Bit? He even scrubbed the shower curtain clean! I had almost forgotten we had bought it 'cause it was blue." [1]

"Um…"

"If Two-Bit's speechless, it's time to go. Where's your first class Johnnycake?"

"In the three hundreds."

"Mine too. I'll walk with you. We can freak everyone out. The walking dead, walking together. We'll really mess with their minds!"

"Okay, Dal. Bye Pony, bye Two-Bit."

~

Johnny ended up in the same fourth period as Ponyboy, and because both of their last names began in C, they sat almost next to each other. Two football players sat between them, and another sat behind Ponyboy. Within ten minutes, it was obvious to Johnny why Ponyboy wasn't overly happy to see the three football players walk into the classroom. He could hear them picking on Ponyboy from where he sat, and struggled to keep calm.

Halfway through the class, the teacher stepped out of the room for a moment to talk with someone. The minute the door was closed, all three football players immediately began picking on Ponyboy.

~~

A/N: I bet this is a little weird, huh? If you've paid attention, you'll have noticed that I only do the double squiggle at the end of the chapter and the beginning. This time, I just felt that I had to say this right now. I have nothing against football players. I know a few, and it's quite fun to see them picked on – I mean, to hang out with them. Seriously, though, I have nothing at all against them, they just seem to be stereotypical Socs. Just look at Paul. Okay, I'm done. Shall we continue?

~~

By the time Johnny had turned around, all three were pushing Pony, shoving the smaller boy against the wall of the classroom. Johnny stood up and grabbed the nearest one by the collar of his shirt. He was slightly surprised to find that he was just taller than the Soc picking on his friend. The other two, one of whom had Pony in a headlock, turned to see why their friend had stopped.

"I suggest you let him go," Johnny growled. When they didn't, he shook the football player in his grip as if he weighed no more than an ounce. The other two looked at each other and threw Ponyboy into Johnny. Johnny instinctively dropped the Soc he was holding and wrapped his arms around the younger boy. He held Ponyboy out away from his for inspection.

"Are you okay, Pony?" Ponyboy only nodded and went back to his seat. Johnny glared at the Socs again before heading to his own seat. The three Socs looked at the two greasers, to each other, and back to the Greasers before taking their own seats. As soon as they sat down, conversation in the classroom resumed until the teacher walked back in.

Ponyboy was unable to pay attention to the lesson, though. _Johnny sure had changed. _He thought as the teacher went on talking. _He never used to be so willing to get involved in someone else's fights. Even Dally's. Course, that could be because Dally would have attacked anyone that tried to get in the way of one of his fights. I don't know if I like Johnny like this. He's a little… too big. He's taller than Darry now, thanks to that last growth spurt. And I think his voice is even deeper. I thought it would be great to have Johnny back, but now that he is, I think I like how he was before he 'died' better._

~

"You sure you're okay, Ponyboy?"

"Yeah Johnny. Don't worry about it."

"What's going on you two?" Two-Bit asked as he and Dally walked up to meet them.

"A bunch of Socs tried to pick on him during fourth period."

"What? Where are they!" The Greasers looked at Steve as if he had grown another head. He had only begun to be protective of Ponyboy within the past few days. He had witnessed Ponyboy getting attacked, and holding his own, against four Socs. He joined the fight to even it out a little, and Ponyboy even managed to use a rock and cut one of them. Ever since then he had been more willing to admit that Pony wasn't as much of an annoying nuisance or a tag a long after all.

"How should we know?" Johnny asked. "I stopped 'em, so they'll probably leave him alone for a while."

"I guess. If they pick on you again, though…" Steve let the sentence trail off.

"I know. I'll get their names and addresses and you can go and have fun beating them up, right?"

"I hadn't thought of that, but yeah. You should do that!"

"Can we just go home now?" Dally whined, rubbing his head.

"What's wrong with you?" Two-Bit asked, staring at the blond.

"Some idiot just hit me in the head. The same spot I hit every morning Superman wakes us up."

"Sure. Let's go." Two-Bit, Steve, and Dally took the lead while Ponyboy and Johnny walked behind them.

"Hey, Pony, are you sure you're okay?"

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm fine?"

"Sorry, Man, I just wanted to make sure."

"Why?"

"Because I'm you're friend and it's my job to make sure they didn't hurt you."

"No, why did you get involved in my fight? You never have before."

"That's because I could never do any good before. If I had gotten into any of your fights before the fire I would have lost, and then we both would have been really messed up. I figured that if I stayed out of it, I could at least yell for the others before getting involved if it got too bad."

"What made that change?"

"I got bigger? I don't know. Maybe that I know I can take care of myself. It just really bothered me the way they were picking on you earlier. It almost reminded me of the way my dad would act towards me before he'd start hitting me. And the whole gang just has something against you getting hit. I didn't want it to get to that point."

"But why?"

"I don't know. I wanted to protect you. I didn't want to see you get hurt. Just like the night I killed Bob. I got involved in it 'cause they were drowning you."

"I thought you said they were going to beat you up after that."

"Yeah, but that doesn't really bother me. I f they had killed you, they would have gotten it out of their systems, and I can handle any drunk's beating. I could even then. But I couldn't let them hurt you, especially not kill you."

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"I had thought that you changed, but your only change was that you got bigger and your voice got deeper."

~~

A/N: Okay, that's the real end. It's past midnight, and I really need to get some sleep. Pixie Stix will only hold a person so long. The end is near. There's only one chapter left. I still can't remember all of where I was going with the sequel, so I'm going to need a lot more reviews in the next two chapters is you really want one. The next chapter will have a piece of what I will have decided to do with it. Like I said before, I still remember the big things, it's just the important minor things that I've lost, if that makes any sense whatsoever.

[1] – Disgusting, yes, but I just had to do it. It comes with being almost completely wide-awake at almost eleven o'clock at night. After waking up at eight-thirty in the morning. Especially when you've spent the last week waking up at close to noon. If you remember, in the movie the shower curtain looks kinda green-blue. Yeah… I had to.

Berserker Nightwitch: Guess who's back?

Dally: How? You've run out of annoying songs!

BN: Oh, didn't I tell you? Two years ago, my younger brother and I made a way to take that last song back up!

Darry: Back… up…

BN: Yep! Wanna hear?

Steve: Not really…

BN: Good! No bottles of beer on the wall, no bottles of beer. You fill one up; put it away. One bottle of beer on the wall! One bottle of-

Johnny: I usually love that song, but at midnight, we all just wanna sleep!

Darry, Dally, Steve, Two-Bit, Soda, Pony, and Randy: *nods*

BN: Um… how did Randy get here? I KNOW I didn't hire him as a muse…

Randy: I snuck in.

BN: How?

Randy: I delivered the pizza. That you didn't eat…

BN: It's in my fridge. I'm waiting until it gets colder.

Dally: The pizza or the weather? 'Cause you were wearing a jacket earlier today.

BN: The pizza!

Soda: Seriously, can we go to bed yet?

BN: Why are you waiting on me?

Pony: We still have a job to do when you finish talking.

BN: Why?

Darry: To earn our pay as muses.

Dally: Please, review so she'll get some sleep. Her eyes are getting all bloodshot, and her hair's falling out, and-

BN: You'll stop that sentence and take back all those lies before I burn your hair off!

Dally: She's keeping us up. Her hair's still in, but I'm sure her eyes are getting red.

BN: This is getting long, so I'll take over tonight. Please review and let me know what you think. Remember! The sequel is counting on YOU!! *points to audience* 


	7. Home to a Better Life

Title: Back for You

Author(ess): Berserker Nightwitch

Summary: Dally and Johnny are dead right? Then how is Dally coming through the front door? And who is this person who looks like Johnny?

Posted: April 12, 2004

Chapter Title: Home to a Better Life

Thank Yous:

DallysGirl4Life – I'm glad you liked it even if you didn't review for it. I'm not mad at people because they didn't review (I do it myself sometimes!), but I just liked the way that that chapter turned out (or at least my sleep-deprived muses did ^^) and it was a little upsetting that I only got five reviews for it. Thanks for reviewing this one so quickly!

Outiderslover-0408 – Short, but sweet. I liked it! Thanks for the review, and here's the last chapter for this story.

DaNNi BaBezZz – I used to share bunk beds with my brother, and when an older (or just larger) friend would come over they would constantly hit their heads. And it is possible to fall off the sides, but I'm not sure how realistic it is for someone to get caught in the sheets. I thought it would add a touch of something. Yeah, I just think it's more fitting for the pet of the gang to be the youngest of the gang. My mind just somehow doesn't fit around the older being shorter. Maybe it's because I'm now shorter than my _younger_ brother. T_T

movielvr – Thank you for every one of your reviews! You and Tensleep are my most loyal reviewers! There are times when I think I must be writing this story solely for the two of you… I hope this chapter meets your expectations.

angel_punk_2021 – I'm glad you like my story. Yeah, I just think that Pony needs to be protected, or at least that the others do a good job protecting him. Thankees for the review!

Tensleep – I'm glad you liked the chapter! The shower curtain thing just had to be written. The muses were attacking again…

~~

Dally: _We_ were attacking? You're still blaming everything on us…

BN: This was a compliment from one of our two best reviewers. You should be grateful I'm laying the blame on you…

Dally: Oh…

~~

I think I remember the other details now, but I'm not sure ^^! And I would never drive them _completely_ insane… just mostly! ;D Thanks for the signature of approval on the last chapter! I wait for both you and movielvr before I make a new chapter.

shyXshortieXbabe – My johnnyness? Okee…. I'm glad you've liked the story so far! There will more than likely be a sequel with all the requests I'm getting for one!

taste of fire – Cliffhanger? Me?… *grins innocently* If you mean will I end the story with a cliffy, then no. I hate doing that to people. The sequel will be an entire story of its own, but following the same timeline as this. I like to be able to read one without the other, so except for a few references, I'm going to try and make it easy to read the next one without having read this.

Mistress of the Darkness – I'm glad. That makes me feel a lot better. I also like the chant! Fun!

Two-BitGortez – Thanks! I will! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

And now for the reason you decided to come back…

~~

It was a few weeks before everything started going back to normal. People tended to avoid both of the newest additions of the Curtis household, but that didn't bother any of the Greasers in the slightest. They almost enjoyed being left alone by the Socs. The only people who really took advantage of the situation were Buck Merrill and Curly Shepherd.

One afternoon, Johnny stayed after school to wait for Ponyboy while the younger boy had track practice. It was almost two hours before the practice was ended, and by that time, Ponyboy was so worn out that he wasn't willing to walk any faster than a slow trot. Both boys knew that any Socs they ran into wouldn't bother them, so they took their time getting home.

When Johnny opened the door he found only Darry in the living room. That was unusual, since the TV was in the living room, and there was nothing else in the house that seemed to keep the others occupied for more than twenty seconds. As they entered the house, Darry stood up and walked a little closer to them. He smiled at the confusion he saw on both of their faces.

"I asked the others to leave for a little while so I could tell you this without any distractions," he announced, serving only to make the younger boys nervous and worried.

"Tell us what?" Johnny asked suspiciously, unconsciously moving in front of Ponyboy. Darry saw his movements and smiled at the boy.

"A social worker came out here today, and wasn't overly thrilled that we have two more people living here with only one more income."

"Are they going to kick us out?" Johnny asked, masking his true feelings behind an uncaring mask. Darry shook his head rather than verbally answer the question. He began to wish he had just told them what the social worker had said when he saw Ponyboy's face suddenly pale.

"Are they planning on sending me and Soda to boy's homes?"

"They threatened it at first," Darry started. He hugged his youngest brother when the boy drew in a sharp breath. "But then I told them about my new job, and the better hours and pay I'm getting on the first one, they reconsidered."

"I could get an afterschool job to help out," Johnny offered.

"I told them you would probably say that. They agreed on those terms, especially when Soda came home with an announcement."

"What announcement?" Ponyboy wanted to know.

"I'm not allowed to tell you. Soda said he would get Steve, Two-Bit, and Dally to help him beat the tar out of me if I didn't let him tell you two."

"Was there anything else? I don't think you would kick everyone out to say that the social workers weren't going to split us up."

"Quit being so smart, Pony," Darry joked. Then he turned serious, and looked Pony in the eye. "You're right. When they heard about the money solutions, they said it wasn't right for five teenage boys to share only three rooms. When I wouldn't agree to opening up the master bedroom, they said that we would have to find a bigger house."

"A… bigger house?" Pony breathed, sounding more than a little overwhelmed.

"Yeah. We would have to move."

"But how could we pay for it? The only reason we have enough money for everything now is because Mom and Dad had the house paid off before they died."

"We still have some of the money from their life insurance, even though I was hoping to save that for your college tuition. When I told them that, they said they would pay for three fourths of the house, leaving us with only one fourth to pay. That way we could have it paid off pretty quickly."

"But… how are we going to find a house?"

"I went looking after they left, and I think I may have found a nice place."

"But we can't move!"

"Why not?"

"This is our house! We can't just leave it!"

"Pony, this place will seem to insignificant in comparison."

"No! I won't leave!"

"Pony!" But Ponyboy just shook his head and left the room. Johnny shared a look with Darry, silently promising to find out what was bothering the youngest Curtis. Just as he was disappearing into Ponyboy's room, the front door opened and the four missing Greasers walked in.

"So," Steve drawled slowly, "how'd it go when you told the kid?"

"Worse than I thought it would. Why would you think he wouldn't want to move?" Darry asked Soda.

"Darry, he was born in this house. I tried telling you that earlier, but you wouldn't listen. I know we all grew up here, but if you remember correctly, Mom couldn't make it to the hospital in time for Pony. He was born in the master bedroom. Every memory he has of our family is somehow connected to this house. He's not going to be willing to give that up very easily."

"But when he sees the other house- "

"He'll realize it has no memories of Mom and Dad whatsoever," Soda interrupted quietly. Darry dropped back onto his chair, and put his head in his hands. Soda stared at him sympathetically for a moment before grabbing Steve's shirtsleeve and dragging him into the kitchen. "You can help me cook dinner tonight," he 'offered' his friend. Steve shrugged helplessly and got out a few pans.

~

"Darry?" The man in question groaned as the whispered voice woke him from his light sleep.

"Wha…?"

"Are you awake?"

"Hn… Yeah, Pony. What is it?" he asked, sitting up in bed and motioning Ponyboy to enter the room. The boy sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at his eldest brother for a moment.

"Do you really think we need to move?"

"I don't want to any more than you do, Baby, but we have to if we're gonna stay together."

"Can I see the house first?"

"Sure. I was gonna ask if you wanted to see it ion Saturday."

"I thought you had to work on Saturdays."

"My boss gave me the day off."

"Oh."

"Was there anything else?"

"No…"

"Then get some sleep, okay? We'll talk about everything else tomorrow when you guys get home from school." Ponyboy nodded and started to get to his feet. Darry caught his arm before he could turn away. "You could sleep in here tonight if you want."

The boy smiled and nodded, crawling into bed beside his brother. Both were thinking that it wouldn't be wise to wake Soda up if they could help it. Once the middle child was woken up, he almost never got back to sleep. No one, not even their parents, were able to understand why.

~

Two days later, the five Greasers living in the Curtis house were in the car Dally had bought a few weeks prior heading to the new house. No one was willing to break the silence that had descended on the car until Ponyboy remembered something from a few days earlier.

"Hey Soda!" he yelled, trying to be heard above the wind rushing through the open windows.

"Yeah?"

"What was your announcement? Darry said you had something to tell us, but you never said anything!"

"Oh. I got a major raise in pay. Me and Steve both did. The owner's expanding, and he made Steve some kind of manager, and Steve promoted me to his right-hand person. Because of that we both got better pay. Steve said that all his extra would go to helping us with whatever we need, too, since we give him a place to stay whenever his dad's being a jerk."

"You didn't tell me that part," Darry told his younger brother.

"He just told me."

"Whenever you two are done, we're here," Darry called from farther up the driveway. Darry and Soda looked up and saw that, not only had all three gotten out and shut the doors, but they were standing halfway up the driveway to the house. The two brothers exchanged sheepish looks and got out of the car.

"Are you going to give us the grand tour?" Johnny asked, poking Darry in the ribs as he did so.

"No, I'll leave that to Soda. He watches enough TV to know how it's done."

"Okay then. If you'll go to your right you'll see the living room. It's spacious and can hold all of our furniture twice over," Soda began in his best 'tour guide voice'. "Going through the living room, you can see the doorway leading to the dining room, which will probably only be used to hold a bunch of junk. Up next is a kitchen that can hold two of ours and still have room to move around. Back the other way, to the left of the door is a hallway. There are two bedrooms and a bathroom down that hall.

"In case you hadn't noticed yet, across the room from the door are stairs. If you'll follow me?" he requested, now thoroughly enjoying his role as tour guide. He led his brothers and their two housemates up the stairs and into a small loft area with three doors. If you turn to your left, you will find a master bedroom that could hold our entire house, and the master bedroom's own bathroom. To the right and straight ahead are two more bedrooms. They are connected in that corner by a joint bathroom. Thank you for using the Sodapop Curtis Tour Company, we hope you have a good day."

Johnny and Ponyboy clapped, but all four of the 'tourists' were laughing loudly. The house was certainly big, and they knew that there were no problems with paying for it, but the question was whether it was right for them or not. Darry was unwilling to buy it if he didn't get Ponyboy's approval.

"So what did you think of the house, Pony?" Dally asked, seeming to read Darry's mind.

"It's… big. Are you going to sleep in the master bedroom, Darry?"

"Only if you and Soda want separate rooms."

"If Soda doesn't mind sharing, I'd rather not have my own room." Soda grinned at the statement and slung an hour around his younger brother's shoulders.

"I don't think I'd be able to stand having my own room anymore. It would be too… lonely or something. I've gotten used to sharing. Besides, if we have separate rooms, what would happen if you had another one of your nightmares?"

"True. So… what were you planning on doing with the master if you weren't going to use it?" Pony asked his brother. Darry smirked.

"I was thinking we could set it up like Mom and Dad have their room set up right now. We could treat that room the same way as we treat the master bedroom at the house we have now. We could set it up real nice, and it'll almost be like they're here with us."

"Really?"

"Of course. Do you mind if I buy it?"

"When would we move in?"

"A few days after it's bought."

"By next week?"

"Sure."

"Buy it!"

~

"What about this? Do we really need a newspaper saying that a man gave birth to a kitten?"

"Toss it!"

"And this?" a different voice called from the next room.

"What is it?"

"A ceramic teacup. Oh! Complete with four others and a teapot!"

"We're keeping that! Mom made and painted that entire set."

"Really? I didn't know that was that artistic! Where's she find the time?"

"When Pony started school, she had all day to herself for the first time in over twelve years."

"Twelve years? Why twelve?"

"That's how old I was by the time Pony started school. She had a kid of some age in the house from the time I was born to the time Pony was five and could start Kindergarten."

Darry had bought the house the day after they had inspected it. Two days had passed, and the Greasers who didn't have a prior commitment had been sorting through the house since that morning. Darry got off even earlier than usual that day, so he was able to help out more. By the end of the day, all seven Greasers were running through the house, throwing some things away, and packing others in boxes.

They planned to be moved in by Friday at the latest, so all small things were being moved as quickly as possible. On Thursday they planned to relocate the beds and dressers, so they were going to sleep in sleeping bags that night. Everything else would have already been moved. Even the refrigerator would go before the beds. The bunk beds were being sold, and two doubles were bought in their place. Soda and Pony would share a king, and Darry had a queen.

~

Thursday rolled around after a long week of packing and moving. Randy – who had become friends with Pony and Johnny – came over to help, and even Cherry and Marcia helped the boys pack smaller things. All the glassware and ceramics were packed by the two girls, who had chastised the boys for not being 'gentle' enough with the fragile objects.

That night the seven Greasers all slept in the living room in sleeping bags and folded blankets. Everything seemed to be all right until about two in the morning. The silence was broken by an ear-piercing shriek. Soda and Darry were immediately at Pony's side, struggling to wake him from his nightmare. The others took a little longer to realize what exactly was happening.

It only took a few moments for Ponyboy to wake up and realize what was happening. He almost started crying as he apologized for waking everyone else up. He hadn't meant to have a nightmare, but he never did. He wasn't sure what was wrong with him, but at least it wasn't one of _the_ nightmares that had plagued him since their parents' death. He could remember that one.

"It was like we were all walking away while Mom and Dad just stood there, calling for us. None of us would do anything to help them. They needed us but we were just walking away. And then when they were gone, we just sold all of their stuff and tried to act like we had never existed."

"It's okay, Pony," Steve said. As the weeks had progressed, he had become more and more understanding of Pony, sticking up for the younger boy even when Two-Bit or Dally wouldn't. "You're probably just upset about moving. It's okay to be nervous."

"Thanks, Steve." Within a few minutes, everyone was asleep again.

~

A week and a half later, everyone had settled into the new house. Darry and Dally had taken the downstairs rooms, claiming that it was easier on everyone on the house that way. Darry woke up too early in the morning to be making so much noise going up and down the stairs, and Dally came home too late at night, using the same reasoning. Soda and Pony shared the room across from the master bedroom, and the one down the hall from the stairs belonged to Johnny. All three of them got home at the right time, and slept in long enough, that it wasn't a bother to anyone.

The master bedroom had been set up as if the Curtis parents still lived there, but were just on vacation. If anyone in the group saw something that reminded them of either parent and they had enough money, they would buy it and add it to the collection of things in the room.

If Steve or Two-Bit spent the night, they could sleep in the living room without too much of a hassle. There were two couches, so they could sleep easily and comfortably even if they were both there at once. They were all still Greasers and admitted to it, to they were definitely going up in life. And the social workers were happy, making their lives all the better.

~~

A/N: I know, the ending could have used a little work, but it's getting late for a school night. Yes, my spring break has just ended, and now I'm back in school. T_T I hope all of you liked this chapter, and come back for the sequel, which, by the way, is still dependent on the amount of reviews I get for this chapter. I'll forego the argument with the muses for this chapter and give you the idea for the sequel instead. Or I'll give in to Dally and give you both. We'll find out in the next few minutes.

Sequel: Now that Johnny and Dally are back, life seems to be going well for the Greasers. Then something happens that takes ten years off of the ages of the Curtis brothers. How will Two-Bit, Dally, Steve, and Johnny take care of an eleven-year-old Darry, a six-year-old Soda, and a four-year-old Pony? Can they do it? Can they stay sane?

I'm still trying to think of ways to make them get younger without making it seem too sci-fi ish, so I'm up for any suggestions emailed to yoru_magi@yahoo.com. If you just add them in your review, however, I will not even consider them. That way everyone has a fair chance of coming up with something original. I think I'll probably take either the most ingenious or the most popular. Thanks for your help!

BN: Guess what?

Dally: What?

BN: I've got another song stuck in my head!

Darry: What is it this time? *cringes*

BN: Don't worry, it's not _too_ annoying.

Steve: Why don't you let _us_ be the judges of that?

BN: The stars will always shine for America's team! Wherever there is thirst there's always the real thing!

Johnny: Is she singing a commercial?

Ponyboy: Yep.

BN: Coca-Cola Classic is always the one! Wherever there is thirst there's always Coca-Cola.

Two-Bit & BN: Doo doo doo doo do-doot, there's always Coca-Cola…

Darry: Are you done now?

BN: Yes. ^^

Dally: Good. Please review and let her know how you liked her story.

Johnny: And don't forget the de-aging ideas!


End file.
